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Part II Chapter 32 - Burden

***Lynett***

He's got to be joking.

"You're a mage...?"

The demi-human boy crossed his arms in front of him and puffed out his chest, displaying a proud grin, completely oblivious to the gloomy atmosphere.

"I am!" He boasted.

"But... You're a beastman," Vivian hesitantly pointed out.

"I know," Jalone blustered, still not reading the mood. "I'm amazing, right?"

It's not that demi-humans can't be mages, it's just very uncommon -and for a good reason. To counterbalance their unmatched physical abilities, their intellect stat is significantly lower than any other race, greatly limiting their magic potential. And while it can be raised, sooner or later it will reach a cap and it won't be able to be pushed beyond that. It's a racial restriction. To put it simply, demi-humans just suck at magic.

I cleared my throat.

"Uhm, don't you think you'll be better off as a melee fighter?" I suggested as subtly as possible. "Like a warrior, maybe?"

But the boy clearly couldn't read between the lines.

"I belong to a family of warriors!" He exclaimed. "My siblings, my parents, and every single one of my cousins. They are all great warriors!"

"Then why..."

"But it was my dream to become a mage," Jalone suddenly added, the hint of nostalgia on his face. "Magic is just so much more fascinating. It comes from nothing and creates miracles."

Ah, I feel you, boy. This is exactly how I first felt when I arrived in this world.

"Anyone can become a warrior where I come from, but not anyone can be a mage. So I'll be the first one!"

Seeing the sparkles in his eyes, I couldn't bring myself to tell him we were actually looking for a melee fighter.

"My father was completely against it, though," Jalone continued, lost in his own memories. "He said that we were a bloodline of prideful warriors. That having a mage among us would be extremely shameful. So he disowned me!"

Alright, this story is taking a dark turn. This was definitely not something to laugh at, yet the boy was recounting it with a bright smile.

"But I'll show him!" Jalone vowed in a triumphant pose. "I'll go to the tournament, win every single battle and prove him wrong! I'll show the world that even a beastman can be a great mage!"

I squinted my eyes.

"That's why you want to participate in the competition?"

As the boy confirmed my assumption with a nod, I let out a long sigh.

That's a honorable dream, I guess. But who can tell him that we don't want another mage in the team now? Definitely not Vivian. Her expressions kept changing as Jalone told us about himself. First, she was confused -as we all were. Then, she started pitying the boy. And now, she was looking at him with admiration. I can tell that in her heart, he's already one of us. She definitely won't be the one driving him out.

I gave a quick glance at Frost. The remaining bits of his soul were slipping out of his body, his face completely devoid of any emotion.

"I'll summon something to be our meat shield," I told him in a low voice. "So it's fine that way, right?"

Frost didn't react for a while. When he finally directed his gaze on me, he sighed loudly.

"Whatever..."